#firstsevenjobs

This topic has been in my inspirational blog writing queue since about August, when I read this interesting article on LinkedIn.  The focus of the article is how the majority of us evolved our careers from the ground up, with a path that was often shaped by higher education and privilege.   This also made me look back on my own career path, which I thought I'd share here, with some highlights about what I learned.

----MIDDLE SCHOOL ----
1. babysitter, $5/hr - definitely made me realize that I didn't want kids in my teens and that as hard as the job is to do when getting paid, parents don't GET PAID.  So if you have great parents, show them you appreciate them!

----HIGH SCHOOL -----
2. Cutco knife sales rep, % of sale - yes, the scissors can actually cut a penny (and skin, so be careful!)  I'm also not "cut" out for direct sales... Just feels too pushy to me.  While I did great in the 2 months I did it, I also have a large family.  Once I had to go outside of that group, I just couldn't do the cold-calls.

3. Pizza Hut waitress, minimum wage ~3/hr + tips - There is an actual science to loading/unloading a tray of drinks.  Wish I'd seen this video before I started?  One very large and embarrassing mess later, I decided this was NOT the job for me.

4. Hyvee (bakery in HS/floral in college), ~$5-7/hr - Taught me that you should be careful using the sprayer to clean items when you are wearing an all white uniform...  This job also made me realize I didn't want a job where I had to stand on concrete 8+ hour shifts.  But the perks of being the closer?  All the left-over donuts you wanted, although my dad and brother probably reaped more of this benefit than I did.

---COLLEGE--------
5. US Postal Service encoder, $12/hr - fancy words for data entry for the post office.  I drove to DSM a few times a week to get paid $12/hour deciphering people's terrible handwriting on the front of envelopes.  Was a great job as I got to sit at a desk and mindlessly type while I listened to books on tape!!  They actually teach you to only read the first 3 letters of any word, I blame this job for my bad habit of skimming and "interpreting" words in lieu of actually reading them??

6. Engineering Intern (Texas Instruments) $16/hr - Dallas, Tx is an AWESOME place to turn 21...  At least the parts I remember?  And TI's profit sharing benefit extended to interns!   Glad '98 was a stellar year, it covered half my fall semester tuition!  However, testing operational amplifiers and updating the software for the Y2K epidemic was a pretty lackluster actual job.   However I'd go back, as its really the location and the things in the area that attract employees.

7. Engineering Intern (Intel) $18/hr - Sacramento, CA is really close to a LOT of cool places (not to mention a cute little casino wedding chapel in Lake Tahoe!)   Perl scripting was a step above previous job, but this internship was cut short by a pleasant surprise (Isaac).  I learned that pregnant women should not be on their own 8 states away from their loved ones.

----GRADUATE -----------
8. Rockwell Collins, Systems Engineer $52,000/yr ~$25/hr - Engineering has been a great career for supporting my family well.  I have had an employer that has provided me remarkable flexibility, making it ideal for a mom with young kids.  I've worked half time, telecommuted, took a year sabbatical in pursuit of my MBA while staying at home full time with my 2nd child.   It allows me to use my problem solving skills EVERY DAY and we make some seriously cool shit, like the F-35 helmet. 

It is so interesting to see my life journey along this career path and how interwoven work and life really are.   I love the random stuff you find out about people when reading their lists.  I'd love to see some comments on your first seven jobs (or maybe your oddest 1 or 2??)

Oh, and GUESS WHAT?!?  Isaac got HIS first job yesterday!  He is working at the 5 Guys by Lindale, which opens MONDAY!!!!  Stop in and say hi and welcome him on his first step of a lifelong career journey.